Arguments Against the Strike #2

Another press cliche, endorsed by right-wing politicians, is that the public shouldn’t support the strike as union leaders are corrupt, wealthy, self-serving and ‘militant’.

Whilst it’s true that many union leaders are often very highly paid (though nothing compared to a failed banker or company director) and self-serving. Few, if any, are particularly militant – often doing the least possible to satisfy their increasingly irritated membership. But more importantly, it is the membership, the ordinary union members, their family and friends who are the prime movers. We are not some passive deluded mass, who simply follow the leaders, we decide for ourselves. And we’re furious.

To prevent the corruption that can follow from having a hierarchical wealthy leadership, economically distanced from its membership. The IWW has no paid officials, and all decisions are taken democratically from the membership.

Arguments Against the Strike #1

At the moment the popular and unpopular press are running almost constant anti-strike stories. One that they keep repeating runs like this: They highlight the plight of someone, usually a woman, who is low paid, and on temporary contracts, with dependents. She complains that the strikes are going to badly impact on her, as she’ll have to stay at home to look after the wee ones, and thus not be able to earn a living for her small children.

This is case with which we can all sympathise; though the intended moral of this story is that strikers are hurting people worse off themselves.

At no point will the reporter ask the complainant if she considers her position would be less vulnerable if she was a member of a union? That the exploitation and precariousness of her employment is not down to the union members but the capitalists, and that the only thing preventing more workers being in the exact same position is collective action.

Media Panic

After telling everyone how the public sector workers were unnecessary and were a redundant strain on the capitalist economy (I know, all those elderly people to be looked after with no immediate financial return – shocking) and that no one supported the unions strike calls; the corporate/state media are in panic about the upcoming day of action. Suddenly the one-day strike, which has the active support of 3 million employees plus many times that number in terms of public sympathy, is ‘irresponsible’. Apparently according to the Con-Dem coalition it will now do untold damage to the economy, a view echoed by every corporate/state news outlet.

Oddly, the impartial news presenters seem to be able to hold both contradictory opinions simultaneously. The strikes have no support – the strikes will severely damage the economy.

And is the latter true? How could the strikers do more damage than the bankers, corporate raiders and war-mongering politicians, which the self-same media still treat as legitimate authorities (and often there is little to distinguish the predominantly Oxbridge, public school-educated members of these groups).

The development of solidarity between employees in different industries and different workplaces against the 1% who control the wealth and power in this country could do a lot of good in the long term. It is something the IWW actively supports. We believe that it could lead to even more radical and exciting instances of mutual aid.

Rally Meet Ups: Glasgow and Dumfries

Clydeisde IWW will be meeting to join the Glasgow rally. They will be assembling at the Concert Hall at the top of Buchanan Street at at 11:15.

Some members of Dumfries (Solway) IWW who live in the north of the region might go up to Clydeside to join the Glasgow rally, whilst others are preparing the black coffee and other stimulants to join the Dumfries rally and festival of disciplined passivity at the Council Offices, English Street at 10.45am.

If you fancy meeting up with some of the Dumfries Wobs contact iww_dg@yahoo.co.uk or phone 0845 053 0329 (local rates only)

Even More Join November 30 (N30) Strikes

Unite have now definitely joined the Wednesday 30th strike – and UCU are almost certain to join too.

Cancel the Carnival

Having just posted about the growing support for the 30th November day of action, and hope that this might become a genuine festival of the oppressed, word reaches us in the heavily-fortified bunker that houses the IWW Dumfries (Solway) Headquarters that on the day of the strike there is a rally being organised outside the Council Offices, English street at 10.45am. It will be followed by an indoor rally, over the road at the Cairndale Hotel, English St, DG1 2DF.

If it’s the usual affair run by the Stalinist-bureaucrats of the Dumfries Trades Council, expect plenty of speeches by big mouths with megaphones, preaching platitudes – and little discussion, direct action or excitement. Let’s hope we’re wrong….

November 30th: More People Join the Strike

Many more unions are set to join the November 30th strike. IWW members are also taking part. Even the Association of Headteachers and Deputes, one of the least rebellious unions in the history of the Labour movement, indeed has never had a strike ballot before, has called on its members to take industrial action.

Let’s turn the day into a carnival, a day of fun, festivity and subversion – and lets see if we gain control of our own lives for a change.

November Events

November seems to be heating into a month of protest and productive resistance.

On November 9th, there’s a national protests in London with students and electrician organising protest marches, which are due to meet up – to the mounting alarm of the police.

On 23 November – there’s planned protests against education and public service cuts taking place in local colleges.

On November 30th – millions of employees are taking part in industrial action throughout the country.

Things are certainly hotting up….

Strike Action Update: November 30th

More unions have voted for strike action, with UNITE, UNISON and Scottish Teachers joining in the fun on November 30th. Meanwhile David Cameron’s government have been shocked enough to try to offer minor concessions, whilst simultaneously lying to the public.Cameron claims that the public sector pensions are ‘better than anything available in the private sector’. Even if it were true, why should ordinary workers have a battle for the bottom. But dont some private sector employees have very generous pensions. Disgraced robber-baron Fred Goodwin gwets a pension from RBS worth £690,000 alone, about 35 times the amount a nurse who works for 40 years would receive.

Front Page News: The Courier

On Tuesday we broke the news that was to become this Friday’s Front Page Lead in The Courier. The paper followed up our account of how Stuart Richie ,the Glasgow Campus Student President of Glasgow University had allegedly been deliberately amiss in failing to represent Dumfries student’s opposition to the closure of the region’s only Arts and Humanities degrees. Since Tuesday Richie has resigned, but the University authorities have yet to respond for a call for an enquiry into the ‘consultation’ on the degrees’ closure.